Burlesque

[Ferrus]

bur·lesque [ bur lésk ]


noun (plural bur·lesques)

Definition:

1. mockery by ludicrous imitation: the mocking of a serious matter or style by imitating it in an incongruous way


2. work using burlesque: a literary or dramatic work that uses burlesque


3. ludicrous imitation: an incongruous imitation of something


4. variety show: a variety show of a type that often includes striptease




transitive verb (past and past participle bur·lesqued, present participle bur·lesq·uing, 3rd person present singular bur·lesques)

Definition:

mock something by ludicrous imitation: to mock something serious by imitating it in an incongruous way


[Mid-17th century. Via French < Italian burlesco < burla "mockery, fun"]


bur·lesq·uer noun

I wonder what the apotheosis of burlesque is.

[Perry]

Dante's Divine Comedy?

a·poth·e·o·sis (ə-pŏth'ē-ō'sĭs, ăp'ə-thē'ə-sĭs)
n., pl. -ses (-sēz').
Exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification.
Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification: “Many observers have tried to attribute Warhol's current apotheosis to the subversive power of artistic vision” (Michiko Kakutani).
An exalted or glorified example: Their leader was the apotheosis of courage.
[Late Latin apotheōsis, from Greek, from apotheoun, to deify : apo-, change; see apo– + theos, god.]

[Stargzer]

And here all along I thought Burlesque meant a folk singing style in the manner of Burl Ives.

After tonight I could use a summer's day on that Big Rock Candy Mountain ...

[Perry]

Yes, but I prefer John Hartford's rendition, given my druthers.